Barnardos and Age Action Ireland have appealed for people to think about any gifts they’ve received which will not be put to use.

CHARITIES HAVE APPEALED for people to donate unwanted Christmas presents to their shops.

Barnardos, Oxfam and Age Action Ireland are among the charities which have asked people to dig out any gifts which have been left lying under the Christmas tree which won’t be used and to give them to charity shops.

Many charities were badly hit by the fallout from the CRC scandal right before Christmas which led to a significant drop in donations.

One study found that around two-thirds of people typically receive an unwanted gift at Christmas, Oxfam said, most commonly clothes, beauty products, toiletries and jewellery.

“No matter how small the donation, every little helps,” said Michael McIlwaine of Oxfam. “It takes just a moment to bag an unwanted item but it could change a life forever”.

Bernadette Harrington of Barnardos appealed to people to think about the gifts they’ve received which will not be put to use.

“Rather than smile and secretly hide them in the back of the wardrobe, why not give them to a worthwhile cause and bring a smile to a child’s face in the New Year,” she said.

Harrington said there has been a marked decrease in donations to Barnardos shops in recent years but a significant increase in the number of people coming into the shops looking for low cost clothing and household items.

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